


When the Clock Strikes at Dawn

by Wilden_tear



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 08:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10213841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilden_tear/pseuds/Wilden_tear
Summary: One night Regina comes visit Emma, who has just turned to the darkness.





	

Night sky is strewed with millions of stars. Nearly imperceptible wind sweeps along Storybrooke. It lulls kingdom of nature, serenely sinking it into a sleep, with smooth gusts. Silence slowly absorbs the town, that will intermit only with first frisky sun rays. The rays will change guard with night warders — stars, and look into the windows of all citizens. They will recall the name of Emma Swan after arousing, and in the hustle and bustle they will continue a fight against the darkness, enveloping the Dark one deeper and deeper every instant. However, the darkness waves its cunning net, choosing the most elaborated patterns for connection to become indissoluble. The darkness is well aware, that the witch wants it to let in herself. The darkness obeys, peculiarly at night, when light magic dozes off, when there are no forces of light, when a person, that is under the authority of the darkness, let it rule in his soul.

The clock strikes once.

Dead peace of the detached-house discontinues, when somebody knocks on the door. Emma knows, who stands on the doorstep.

'Well, good evening, Regina,' the Dark one sluggishly flaps her hand, so the door becomes open. 'What do you need?' she asks roughly.

'I came here in order to talk to you —' says Mills with diffidence.

'Okay, I've heard from all of you you're going to save me from being dark so many times,' the woman interrupts discontentedly.

'Actually, I wanna talk about our relationship, maybe.'

'You clearly know, it has come to an end. Now I'm the Dark one, and you're the Saviour. Nothing more.'

'Really, miss Swan?' Mills keeps cool, waiting for Emma's reaction.

'Stop calling me this way!' Emma hisses. She hates Regina for knowing her weak spots, and manipulating them in her own favour. 'We've been through too much together, so don't treat me like that.'

'Yes, we've been through too much together —' Regina repeats like an echo. 'But you're not the Emma I knew. Have something to drink?' Mills suddenly skips to another topic.

'Wine,' Swan ignores everything, except the last question. Two glasses and a bottle of dry wine rise to view.

They have never drunk stiffer drinks. They just have found no sense in it. The wine have flurried their minds, made them reveal their genuine feelings, they would not confess without a drink. The wine has been their uniting element. It has set them on to the most extraordinary deeds that they have been capable of before each other.

The clock strikes twice.

Two witches, intoxicated with alcohol, come out into the streets of the dying away city, and head for their favourite place — a tremendous oak-tree. Slight rustle of the leaves literally penetrates into the skin. The Moon throws light on a mighty tree, so why it seems like a soul, having risen from the underworld.

'Emma, have you ever thought, where did magic come from?' asks Mills out of the blue. She does not want to keep silent, so she asks the first thing that has crossed her mind.

'I suppose you know, Regina, that nobody can answer this question, even now,' the mayor does not expect to hear another answer.

'I just want to know your point of view,' answers Mills, emphasizing the word `your`.

'Why?' responds Swan indifferently.

'I believe you know the answer.'

'Maybe you're right. Fine, I'll tell you one legend, which passed to me with the recollections of all Dark ones,' Emma approaches the oak-tree, touches its bark, so the tree starts shining in a gentle magenta colour. The shining slowly spreads over the tree trunk, exuberant foliage, branches, and at the same moment Regina draws in her mind a picture of the lava, taking all the strength of natural element, leaving behind it smoldering silhouettes of the life. Swan has always been fond of quaint scenery.

'Million years ago there was one lake. We don't know where it was even till now. It was so long ago, that even the most powerful wizards and witches of our times are not able to see such a long time interval. It's a gone past, hidden in hours, years and centuries. Maybe one day somebody will be able to find the spring of original magic, but I really doubt that, as day by day there is less and less hope to discover it. And one day there will be no chance to find it: remembrances about the lake will dissolve in the eternity.

This lake was like a sea, it was inhabited by mermaids. That time they were the only creatures to have the power of magic. They were the guardians of all the worlds, they kept balance for wars not to break out. They punished evil people, who didn't adhere to peace, and patronized those, who honored lake mistresses and obeyed their laws. This way they maintained harmony in all the worlds.

There was one peculiar mermaid among them. She was a principal guardian. She looked like the others externally, but she had one inner exceptional gift — gift of wisdom. She carried out the main duty, she resolved conflicts between governments. That was extremely important those days, as tribes aspired to annihilate one another.

However, there was a prophecy about the times when the harmony falls.. When it happens, and the principal guardian dies, and the balance falls, a new force, as powerful as mermaids`, will come to exist, and deal death and destruction, until there's somebody, who can send it away. The minority of people believed in it, they expected the magic to save them. But the prophecy came true, presenting the world a struggle of unrestrained forces.

Do you know, Regina, what ruined welfare of our worlds? The love. The damn love, you all aim to. The love, that kills us like slow venom later. It furrows our veins, making reddening blood to seethe in its own foam. The love creates and murders. It brings both happiness and suffering.

That mermaid was killed by a simple human, who wished power. He believed he would become happy, taking her magic for himself, but instead of this everyone wallowed in misery and pain. Then Gehenna separated from Elysium. People became shut in upon themselves. Chaos became a king in countries and cities, many people died from hunger, and wars. And nobody could save this cursed reality.

Personally, I think, humanity will never find its saviour, because each man, each critter, each deity, and each king are mortal.'

The clock strikes thrice.

'It's a single instance, Swan,' says Regina silently.

'What?'

'The story about the guardian mermaid. In real life this doesn't happen really often.'

'I know. But you asked me to tell you the legend. And this is exactly how our world was created. Furthermore, I think that only Dark ones know it.'

'Why do you think so? No doubt there is some evidence of these events in any library.'

'No, Regina. You think I didn't try to find it? Do you think I didn't contact the most powerful sorcerers to find out the truth? Then you're mistaken. No archives have any references to the legend.' flatly answered Emma.

'So... you wanted to know something more about this lake?'

'Yes, I've always been eager to find it.'

'Why?'

'I don't know the real answer. Something always forced me to do this.'

'What about now? Does it still force?'

'No.'

'Hell, Emma, do you understand, that it could be a clue for your turning into Dark one?'

'I don't actually care anymore.'

Mills was about to answer, but Swan suddenly transfers them to Storybrooke's forest outskirts.

'What's now, Swan?'

'Do you want to have a small walk along the forest?' answers Emma, having ignored how Regina has just called her.

'At full moon? You're so romantic though,' sneers Regina. She has never liked, when Emma has hidden something.

'I have something to show you,' wistfully answers Emma Swan.

'What other secrets that we can see only at full moon do you keep?'

'There aren't many of them,' she smiles frigidly.

There is only a silence, discontinuing by a far howl of the wolves in reply. Absolute night silence, combining with howl, really depresses. Mills does not like the idea of going straight into the thicket of the mysterious forest, but she has no other outlet. She cannot not to follow the Dark one, that seems to have her brains on ice.

'Wanna go through the forest, alive with werewolves? Why can't you just move us to the place you need?'

'I want you to watch it gradually, while we approach it.'

'Watch what?'

'The thing you'll see,' answers Emma harshly. 'Please, just stop asking strange questions, and whining. It isn't usually personal to you.'

The clock strikes four times.

'Is it a legendary lake of unrealizable wishes? But... how?'

'Come on, Regina, you're aware that it exists in every world. Nevertheless, it shows its mysteries not for everybody, only for those, who believe in its magic. Look,' the Dark one points untroubled surface of the lake.

'There's nothing here.'

'Just believe, and look, look carefully,' Mills hears quiet whisper next to her.

Slight breeze blows, and slight ripple crosses surface of the lake. Several leaves descend in the water. Right at this moment Regina sees a degraded picture, which starts to depict on the surface.

It becomes more and more clear every instant. Every instant the picture of the alternative life devours Regina's mind, the picture where she could be happy, where her destiny would not intertwine with the Evil Queen, where all people she cherished would not lay in the moulds. She dreams of a life, where she could love and be loved, live the way that the cold would not return to her rooms at night, but it would wander, looking for as irretrievably lost people as was the Evil Queen in the Enchanted forest. However, it is all an illusion. The illusion, too much desired, thrilled, but unfeasible. Mills understands, that in this dream it is not her, it is another person with the same appearance, but with another destiny.

'Enough. Let's quit this place,' Regina stops beholding beckoning vision that disappears at once.

'When I saw the events in the lake for the first time... I watched them for too much longer,' said Swan.

'There is no sense in doing this. You might go crazy.'

'Actually, it requires much more time to make people go crazy.'

'You're mistaken. I know, how it works. And I know someone who turned insane after doing things like that. For example, remember Narcissus, that miserable man, who fell in love with his own appearance. He lived in my kingdom while I was young. He idealized himself. He lived with this lie. And there is nothing scarier, Emma, than living in one reality physically and existing in alternative one in your mind.'

The clock strikes five times.

'Sometimes it's worth it. When Rumpelstiltskin follows you in your head every day, nothing remains for me but to think of the other variants of course of events.'

'But you told me, you were able to make him escape —'

'Due to another reality, as you say,' answers Swan sharply. 'It's already dawn. I think we should be back.'

In just a twinkle the Dark one waves her hand, and a violet haze envelops two women. Then they find themselves to stand near the grim Swan's house.

'Wanna come round for one more hour?' Emma makes an inviting gesture.

'I'm afraid, I won't. I don't want Henry to know that I didn't spend night at home.'

'You'll leave my house with first sun rays, at dawn. Just one hour left. It won't change a thing, believe me,' the Dark one whispered.

'Your persistence hasn't changed, Swan.'

'My name is Emma.'

'Well, behave like Emma, then we'll have a talk.'

'It wasn't me, who entered your house to talk about unknown facts about our nonexistent relationship.'

'You haven't thought this way before.'

'You won't think the same way too,' answers Emma calmly. 'Forget it, it's just my strange thoughts,' Swan makes haste to pronounce these words, having took a glance at Regina's surprised look.

'Why do you need me to stay?'

'Want to meet sunrise with you. Isn't it a good reason?' insinuatingly wonders Emma.

'Would be much better if you tell me the truth,' cautiously requests Mills.

'Well, that's the only truth,' Emma shrugs her shoulders.

The clock strikes six times.

Regina sits on the sofa opposite to the fire place relaxed. The fire place is the only cosy place that has stayed in Emma's house. Emma keeps it for her, the Queen of flame, to feel homely whenever she decides to come visit her.

Swan slowly approaches her from backside, following her glance, that watches the round dance of flames, which must be ended in several minutes forever. She passes the hand over Regina's head, taking all the memories, connected to their relationship and friendship, away, and carries them to a dreamcatcher.

'Miss Swan, stay away from my son,' Regina's rough voice literally wakes Emma up.

'Fine,' the Dark one knows, that it is just an excuse to forget as quickly as possible the woman that is now a stranger.

'Goodbye,' says Regina before leaving the house for this time forever.

Swan makes the fire place to escape by the slight movement of her arm. Now instead of the fire place there is only a wall, as grey and cold as anything else in this house.


End file.
